Tag Archives: Greenpeace

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Twenty-five years ago today the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded


Twenty-five years ago today the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded — sending plumes of radiation around the planet and devastating the area surrounding the plant to this day. The world learned firsthand then about the dangers of nuclear energy. Unfortunately, as the recent events in Fukushima have showed us, we didn’t take the lesson to heart.

Greenpeace has been confronting nuclear dangers since we launched our first campaign protesting U.S. nuclear testing back in 1971. And we aren’t going to stop until we’ve realized our dream of a future free of nuclear disasters.

That’s why we are launching a new, ambitious campaign to fight dangerous nuclear power in this country. But we can’t do it without your support.

Please sign-up today to become a monthly Greenpeace donor and support our work here in the United States to make sure the next nuclear disaster never happens.

Together, we’ve already organized hundreds of vigils for Japan and sent 50,000 messages to Congress opposing nuclear giveaways in the budget. Meanwhile, our independent radiation monitoring crew continues their work in Japan and the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior is on its way to conduct contamination tests on seawater and marine life in the area. In the U.S. we’re just getting started.

Many nuclear reactors in the U.S., some of which are the very same design as those that exploded and melted down in Japan, are seeking government approval to run for 20 more years. This is not a risk we need to take.

We want to make sure that many of these plants aren’t re-licensed. We’ll also oppose the construction of new nuclear reactors and urge members of Congress to cut the $36 billion in nuclear subsidies from President Obama’s proposed budget.

Just last year, we won a historic vote in the Vermont legislature to close down the aging Vermont Yankee reactor. We know our campaigns work. This isn’t going to be easy. But as the situation in Japan reminds us every day, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Your monthly support is needed to make this new work possible. Please help us realize a clean energy future free of nuclear disasters and make a monthly gift to Greenpeace today. When we look back at Fukushima 25 years from now, let’s be able to say that we took the lesson to heart this time.

Thank you for your support,

Philip Radford

Executive Director, Greenpeace USA

P.S. A monthly gift is the best way to support Greenpeace. It allows us to plan into the future and run campaigns that win. Please support our work by becoming a monthly donor today.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Cancer kills one American every minute


One American will die from cancer every minute this year.

“Millions of Americans are living with cancer, and millions more are affected by the devastating toll a cancer diagnosis takes on families, communities and workplaces. Please make it a top priority for your Administration to create a cancer prevention plan that stops the use of cancer-causing chemicals in products used in America every day.”

We all know someone impacted by cancer and despite the devastation it causes to our friends and families, it’s perfectly legal for companies to add known cancer-causing chemicals to products we use every day in our homes, schools and workplaces. That can change.

President Obama has the ability to reverse decades of failed policies and set the course for a national cancer prevention strategy that includes eliminating the use of cancer-causing chemicals in everyday products. But he’s not going to do it if people everywhere don’t speak out.

That’s why Greenpeace is joining up with around 200 coalition groups to deliver a petition to the President in early May on the one-year anniversary of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) President’s Cancer Panel report.

greenpeaceusa.org

Sign our petition right now urging President Obama to make cancer prevention a priority by acting to protect us from cancer-causing chemicals and we’ll include your name in the delivery.

Last year, the NCI report urged the President “to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.” Toxic chemicals are everywhere — in products like clothing, furniture, cleaning products, plastics, and shower curtains used by children, women, and men across the nation on a daily basis.

The NCI report’s final recommendation was for the President to “most strongly use the power” of his office to eliminate human exposure to cancer-causing chemical. We couldn’t agree more. Show him that you agree as well by signing the petition.

greenpeaceusa.org

Cancer is a horrible disease but it can be prevented. It’s high time we made cancer prevention one of our highest national priorities.

For a safer and healthier future,

Rick Hind

Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

$500,000,0​00,000


According to a new groundbreaking report from Harvard, coal is costing Americans up to an extra HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS every year.

But it’s what’s behind the dollar amounts from the report that really matters. We’re talking about kids with asthma, mothers taking time off of work to take care of sick relatives, communities turning into cancer clusters, climate change…the list goes on and on.

Back in Washington, however, our elected leaders are being pressured by the deep pockets of the coal industry to take away the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate coal-fired power plants. Saying it will cost Americans too much money. Nothing could be further from the truth. Coal will cost us even more if the EPA loses this ability.

That’s why we are going to personally deliver a copy of the Harvard report to both of your Senators along with signatures from the people they’re elected to represent in Washington. We won’t let them ignore or pretend they don’t know about the extra half a trillion dollars coal is costing all of us every year or how their constituents feel about it.

Pleas join us by adding your name to our petition right now and we’ll make sure it is included in the delivery to your Senators. http://us.greenpeace.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=775&s_src=taf  

This report marks the first time ever that all of the effects during the lifecycle of coal — from mining to burning in coal-fired power plants — have been accounted for and the results are staggering. The hundreds of coal-fired power plants across the country are driving these effects. Which is why Greenpeace is launching a new campaign this year that will take the fight directly to these dirty polluters.

Bridgeport, Connecticut is home to one of these plants. And Greenpeace activists were there today to send a simple message — “Shut it down. Quit coal.” It’s a message we’ll be repeating over and over again at plants everywhere. It’s the same message we’ll be delivering to your Senators along with the report. Sign the petition today and let’s make sure the Senate defends the EPA’s ability to protect us from the true cost of coal.

Quit coal,

Kelly Mitchell

Greenpeace Coal Campaigner

P.S. We’re going to collect these petitions up until March 1st. So be sure to forward this around and get your friends involved.

http://us.greenpeace.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=775&s_src=taf

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Save the Whales. Save the Money.


If you were watching the Super Bowl the other night (or at least tuning in for the always entertaining commercials) you may have seen a commercial starring Cuba Gooding Jr. about saving the whales.

It was a pretty tongue-in-cheek message about over-the-top celebrity cause advertising, which is what the sponsors of the commercial, Groupon, were going for. Since they started out as a collective action and philanthropy site, they loved the idea of poking fun at themselves by talking about discounts as a noble cause.

The commercial was part of a Groupon campaign called “Save the Money.” Greenpeace is happily participating in the campaign. The truth is that the “Save the Money” campaign and the commercial are really helping us save the whales.

Don’t worry if you missed it. You can check it out right now: below Cuba Gooding on video

 http://us.greenpeace.org/site/R?i=n0cdj4izh2vfqWpckko5NQ..

Here’s how it works: Groupon is collecting donations from individuals to help Greenpeace save the whales. People can purchase a $15 Groupon to save the whales and when they do Groupon matches that by giving the person $15 in Groupon credit. It’s a great campaign and it’s really going to help us in our work.

So check it out, sign-up and save the whales (and the money).

Sincerely,

John Hocevar

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell President Obama to -Save the Whales


At the next International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting this June, President Obama must decide to push for reform or to allow business as usual. His decision will determine the fate of the planet’s whales.

IWC reform would close loopholes and save whales. But business as usual would send Japanese whalers back Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to slaughter more whales year after year — just like they are right now.

These types of important decisions aren’t made the day before the meeting — they’re made months in advance. That’s why on Friday, we strung up over 1,000 origami whales in front of the White House as a message to the President that we are not going to let this issue slip out of the public spotlight and allow him to get away with business as usual.

Each of the origami whales represents one whale from the Japanese kill quota and also contains the name of a Greenpeace donor who helped make this campaign possible. While the act was symbolic, the outpouring of support for this campaign and the effect it is having is very real.

You can help us keep this issue front and center for the President during the lead-up to the IWC by adding your name to our “virtual” vigil to save the whales.

 http://us.greenpeace.org/site/R?i=fJorSCIjIFrVWOBX3DVNNQ..

The American public overwhelmingly supports action to save the whales. In fact, a recent Greenpeace poll showed that 83% of Americans want the President to stand by his campaign pledge to strengthen the international ban on commercial whaling. More than four out of five Americans want this to happen!

And it shows. Last week, over 40,000 Greenpeace supporters took the time to write the President and 2,000 people submitted letters to the editor calling on him to be a leader and end the senseless slaughter of whales. And your efforts aren’t going unnoticed. Right now, the US is for the first time considering trade sanctions against any country (in this case, Iceland) for violating international conservation laws. While in Japan officials were forced to apologize last month for the illegal whale meat scandal that was uncovered by two Greenpeace activists. That’s a really big deal in Japan.

The President has more to lose back home than he has to gain by protecting the interests of whaling nations like Japan. It’s why he told Greenpeace that “Allowing Japan to continue commercial whaling is unacceptable.” It’s why we have to continue urging him to keep his word and do the right thing before June.

Make sure the President knows that you are paying attention and expect leadership at the IWC this June by adding your name to our “virtual” vigil to save the whales.   http://us.greenpeace.org/site/R?i=fJorSCIjIFrVWOBX3DVNNQ..

For the whales,

John Hocevar

Ocean Campaigns Director